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{{Short description|Town in Cornwall, England}}
{{Short description|Town in Cornwall, England}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2013}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox UK place
{{Infobox UK place
|static_image_name= Lostwithiel bridge river Fowey Cornwall.jpg
|static_image_name= Lostwithiel bridge river Fowey Cornwall.jpg
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| population = 2,814
| population = 2,814
| population_ref = (2011)<ref name=2011census>{{NOMIS2011|id=1170220583|title=Lostwithiel Parish|access-date=18 March 2018}}</ref>
| population_ref = (2011)<ref name=2011census>{{NOMIS2011|id=1170220583|title=Lostwithiel Parish|access-date=18 March 2018}}</ref>
|civil_parish = Lostwithiel<ref>{{cite web |title=Lostwithiel Town Council Website |url=https://www.lostwithieltowncouncil.gov.uk/ |website = Lostwithiel Town Council |access-date=22 February 2023}}</ref>
|civil_parish= Lostwithiel
|unitary_england= [[Cornwall Council]]
|unitary_england = [[Cornwall Council]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Cornwall Council Website |url=https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/ |website = Cornwall Council |access-date=22 February 2023}}</ref>
|lieutenancy_england = [[Cornwall]]
|lieutenancy_england = [[Cornwall]]
|constituency_westminster= [[South East Cornwall (UK Parliament constituency)|South East Cornwall]]
|constituency_westminster= [[South East Cornwall (UK Parliament constituency)|South East Cornwall]]
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}}
}}


'''Lostwithiel''' ({{IPAc-en|l|ɒ|s|ˈ|w|ɪ|ð|i|əl}}; {{lang-kw|Lostwydhyel}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.magakernow.org.uk/pdf/placename_masterlist.pdf |title=List of Place-names agreed by the MAGA Signage Panel |access-date=11 January 2015 |publisher=Cornish Language Partnership |date=May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729194902/http://www.magakernow.org.uk/pdf/placename_masterlist.pdf |archive-date=29 July 2014 }}</ref>) is a [[civil parishes in England|civil parish]] and small town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom at the head of the [[estuary]] of the [[River Fowey]]. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,739, increasing to 2,899 at the 2011 census.<ref name=2011census/> The Lostwithiel electoral ward had a population of 4,639 at the 2011 census.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukcensusdata.com/lostwithiel-e05008246#sthash.nksVtltt.dpbs|title=2011 Ward census|access-date=8 February 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150208183319/http://www.ukcensusdata.com/lostwithiel-e05008246#sthash.nksVtltt.dpbs|archive-date=8 February 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The name Lostwithiel comes from the [[Cornish language|Cornish]] "lostwydhyel" which means "tail of a wooded area".<ref>[[Weatherhill, Craig]] (2009) ''A Concise Dictionary of Cornish Place-Names''. Westport, Mayo: Evertype</ref>
'''Lostwithiel''' ({{IPAc-en|l|ɒ|s|ˈ|w|ɪ|ð|i|əl}}; {{langx|kw|Lostwydhyel}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.magakernow.org.uk/pdf/placename_masterlist.pdf |title=List of Place-names agreed by the MAGA Signage Panel |access-date=11 January 2015 |publisher=Cornish Language Partnership |date=May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729194902/http://www.magakernow.org.uk/pdf/placename_masterlist.pdf |archive-date=29 July 2014 }}</ref>) is a [[civil parish]] and small town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom at the head of the [[estuary]] of the [[River Fowey]]. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,739, increasing to 2,899 at the 2011 census.<ref name=2011census/> The Lostwithiel electoral ward had a population of 4,639 at the 2011 census.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukcensusdata.com/lostwithiel-e05008246#sthash.nksVtltt.dpbs|title=2011 Ward census|access-date=8 February 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150208183319/http://www.ukcensusdata.com/lostwithiel-e05008246#sthash.nksVtltt.dpbs|archive-date=8 February 2015}}</ref> The name Lostwithiel comes from the [[Cornish language|Cornish]] "lostwydhyel" which means "tail of a wooded area".<ref>[[Weatherhill, Craig]] (2009) ''A Concise Dictionary of Cornish Place-Names''. Westport, Mayo: Evertype</ref>


==Origin of the name==
==Origin of the name==
The origin of the name Lostwithiel is a subject much debated. In the 16th century it was thought that the name came from the [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] name ''Uzella'', translated as ''Les Uchel'' in [[Cornish language|Cornish]]. In the 17th century popular opinion was that the name came from a translation of ''Lost'' (a tail) and ''Withiel'' (a lion), the lion in question being the lord who lived in the castle.
The origin of the name Lostwithiel is a subject much debated. In the 16th century it was thought that the name came from the [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] name ''Uzella'', translated as ''Les Uchel'' in [[Cornish language|Cornish]]. In the 17th century popular opinion was that the name came from a translation of ''Lost'' (a tail) and ''Withiel'' (a lion), the lion in question being the lord who lived in the castle.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}


Current thinking is that the name comes from the Old Cornish ''Lost Gwydhyel'' meaning "tail-end of the woodland".<ref>{{cite book|last=Mills|first=A. D.|title=The Popular Dictionary of English Place-Names|year=1996|publisher=Parragon Book Service Ltd and Magpie Books|isbn=0-7525-1851-8}}</ref> The view from [[Restormel Castle]] looking towards the town shows how this may have come to be.
Current thinking is that the name comes from the Old Cornish ''Lost Gwydhyel'' meaning "tail-end of the woodland".<ref>{{cite book|last=Mills|first=A. D.|title=The Popular Dictionary of English Place-Names|year=1996|publisher=Parragon Book Service Ltd and Magpie Books|isbn=0-7525-1851-8}}</ref> The view from [[Restormel Castle]] looking towards the town shows how this may have come to be.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}


==History==
==History==
Lostwithiel was founded in the early 12th century by Norman lords who built the nearby [[Restormel Castle]]. Lostwithiel received its town charter in 1189.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lostwithiel.org.uk/see-and-do/history/|title=History of Lostwithiel|website=Lostwithiel.org.uk|access-date=7 June 2020}}</ref> In the late 13th century, [[Edmund, 2nd Earl of Cornwall]] oversaw the building of the [[Lostwithiel_Stannary_Palace|Great Hall]], the bridge and the square [[St_Bartholomew's_Church,_Lostwithiel|church tower]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lostwithiel.org.uk/see-and-do/history/|title=History of Lostwithiel|website=Lostwithiel.org.uk|access-date=7 June 2020}}</ref>
Lostwithiel was founded in the early 12th century by Norman lords who built the nearby [[Restormel Castle]]. Lostwithiel received its town charter in 1189.<ref name="LOST">{{Cite web|url=https://www.lostwithiel.org.uk/see-and-do/history/|title=History of Lostwithiel|website=Lostwithiel.org.uk|access-date=7 June 2020}}</ref> In the late 13th century, [[Edmund, 2nd Earl of Cornwall]] oversaw the building of the [[Lostwithiel Stannary Palace|Stannary Palace]], the bridge and the square [[St Bartholomew's Church, Lostwithiel|church tower]].<ref name="LOST"/>


The [[Battle of Lostwithiel]], an important battle in the [[First English Civil War]], took place near Lostwithiel in 1644. In it [[Roundhead|Parliamentarian]] forces were defeated by the [[Cavalier|Royalists]]. The Parliamentarians would go on to win the war but [[Cornwall]] remained under Royalist control until 1646.<ref>{{cite web |title=Battle of Lostwithiel (1644) |url=http://www.battlefieldsofbritain.co.uk/battle_lostwithiel_1644.html |website=Battlefields of Britain |publisher=CastlesFortsBattles.co.uk network |access-date=1 May 2020 |date=2019 |ref={{sfnref|Battle of Lostwithiel (1644)}}}}</ref>
⚫
The [[Lostwithiel (UK Parliament constituency)|Lostwithiel constituency]] elected two members to the [[Unreformed House of Commons]], but was disenfranchised by the [[Reform Act 1832]]. It remained a [[municipal borough]] until the 1960s, when it became a [[civil parishes in England|civil parish]]. The seal of the borough of Lostwithiel was a shield charged with a castle rising from water between two thistles, in the water two fish, with the legend "Sigillum burgi de Lostwithyel et Penknight in Cornubia".<ref>{{cite book|last=Pascoe|first=W. H.|title=A Cornish Armory|page=133|year=1979|publisher=Lodenek Press|location=Padstow, Cornwall|isbn=0-902899-76-7}}</ref> Its mayoral [[regalia]] includes a silver oar, signifying its former jurisdiction over the River Fowey.


⚫
The [[Lostwithiel (UK Parliament constituency)|Lostwithiel constituency]] elected two members to the [[Unreformed House of Commons]], but was disenfranchised by the [[Reform Act 1832]]. It remained a [[municipal borough]] until the 1960s, when it became a [[civil parish]]. The seal of the borough of Lostwithiel was a shield charged with a castle rising from water between two thistles, in the water two fish, with the legend "Sigillum burgi de Lostwithyel et Penknight in Cornubia".<ref>{{cite book|last=Pascoe|first=W. H.|title=A Cornish Armory|page=133|year=1979|publisher=Lodenek Press|location=Padstow, Cornwall|isbn=0-902899-76-7}}</ref> Its mayoral [[regalia]] includes a silver oar, signifying its former jurisdiction over the River Fowey.<ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=sttRAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA23 |title= The Western Antiquary, Or, Devon and Cornwall Note Book |volume= 9–10|year=1890 |page=23|first=William Henry Kearley |last=Wright|publisher=W. H. Luke}}</ref>
⚫
[[Jaques Bagratuni]], an [[Armenia]]n prince and Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to Britain, died in Lostwithiel on 23 December 1943 but was buried at [[Brompton Cemetery]] in [[London]].<ref>The Times, 19 January 1944.</ref>

⚫
[[Jaques Bagratuni]], a prince and ambassador of [[Armenia]] to Britain, died in Lostwithiel on 23 December 1943 but was buried at [[Brompton Cemetery]] in [[London]].<ref>{{cite news |editor-last1=Barrington-Ward |editor-first1=Robert |editor-link=Robert Barrington-Ward |title=Major-General J. Bagratuni |work=The Times |issue=49,757 |date=19 January 1944 |page=7|issn=0140-0460}}</ref>


==Geography==
==Geography==
The town is situated in the Fowey river valley, positioned between the [[A390 road]] from [[Tavistock, Devon|Tavistock]] to [[Truro]] and the upper tidal reaches of the river.<ref name=osmap>Ordnance Survey: Explorer map sheet 107 ''St Austell & Liskeard'', 2008, {{ISBN|0-319-24017-7}}</ref>
The town is situated in the Fowey river valley, positioned between the [[A390 road]] from [[Tavistock, Devon|Tavistock]] to [[Truro]] and the upper tidal reaches of the river.<ref name=osmap>Ordnance Survey: Explorer map sheet 107 ''St Austell & Liskeard'', 2008, {{ISBN|0-319-24017-7}}</ref>


[[Lostwithiel railway station]] is on the [[Great Western Main Line|Cornish Main Line]] from [[Plymouth]] to [[Penzance]]. It is situated on the south side of the town, just across the medieval bridge. The line was originally built for the [[Cornwall Railway]] which built its main workshops here, but the surviving workshop buildings were transformed into apartments in 2004. [[Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway|A branch line]] takes [[Kaolinite|china clay]] trains to [[Fowey]].
[[Lostwithiel railway station]] is on the [[Cornish Main Line]] from [[Plymouth]] to [[Penzance]]. It is situated on the south side of the town, just across the medieval bridge. The line was originally built for the [[Cornwall Railway]] which built its main workshops here, but the surviving workshop buildings were transformed into apartments in 2004. [[Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway|A branch line]] takes [[Kaolinite|china clay]] trains to [[Fowey]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dart |first1=Maurice |title=East Cornwall Mineral Railways |date=2004 |publisher=Middleton Press |isbn=1-904474-22-5}}</ref>


The town contains the suburbs of '''Bridgend''' to the east and Rosehill and Victoria to the west of the River Fowey.<ref name=osmap />
The town contains the suburbs of Bridgend to the east and Rosehill and Victoria to the west of the River Fowey.<ref name=osmap />


To the south of the town is the Shirehall Moor nature reserve which follows the course of the River Fowey and opens out to a wide salt marsh.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Coulson Park and Shirehall Moor : Lostwithiel |url=https://www.lostwithiel.org.uk/see-and-do/visitor-guide/walks-and-paths/coulson-park-and-shirehall-moor/ |access-date=2022-05-01 |website=www.lostwithiel.org.uk |language=en}}</ref> The reserve is a haven for birdlife including swans, ducks, egrets, herons, kingfishers and Canada geese.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lostwithiel riverside walk – Mellingey to Coulson park, Pill walk & Shirehall Moor… – Mellingey house |url=https://www.mellingey.co.uk/lostwithiel-riverside-walk-mellingey-coulson-park-pill-walk-shirehall-moor/ |access-date=2022-05-01 |website=www.mellingey.co.uk}}</ref>
To the south of the town is the Shirehall Moor nature reserve which follows the course of the River Fowey and opens out to a wide salt marsh.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Coulson Park and Shirehall Moor : Lostwithiel |url=https://www.lostwithiel.org.uk/see-and-do/visitor-guide/walks-and-paths/coulson-park-and-shirehall-moor/ |access-date=2022-05-01 |website=lostwithiel.org.uk}}</ref> The reserve is a haven for birdlife including swans, ducks, egrets, herons, kingfishers and Canada geese.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lostwithiel riverside walk – Mellingey to Coulson park, Pill walk & Shirehall Moor… – Mellingey house |url=https://www.mellingey.co.uk/lostwithiel-riverside-walk-mellingey-coulson-park-pill-walk-shirehall-moor/ |access-date=2022-05-01 |website=mellingey.co.uk}}</ref>
⚫
[[File:Lostwithiel.jpg|center|thumb|600px|Lostwithiel looking from the west]]


==Buildings==
==Buildings==
Lostwithiel's most notable buildings are [[St Bartholomew's Church, Lostwithiel|St Bartholomew's Church]] and [[Restormel Castle]]. There is a small museum devoted to the history of the town. Once a [[stannary town]], and for a period the most important in Cornwall, it is now much reduced in importance. There is a fine early fourteenth-century bridge with six pointed arches, and nearby the remains of the [[Lostwithiel Stannary Palace]], with its Coinage Hall – this was the centre of royal authority over tin-mining, and '[[Tin coinage|coinage]]' meant the knocking off of the corner of each block of tin for the benefit of the [[Duchy of Cornwall]]. The small [[wikt:guildhall|Guildhall]] has an arcaded ground floor. The old [[Grammar School]] has been converted into dwellings.
Lostwithiel's most notable buildings are [[St Bartholomew's Church, Lostwithiel|St Bartholomew's Church]] and [[Restormel Castle]]. Once a [[stannary]] town, and for a period the most important in Cornwall, it is now much reduced in importance. There is a fine early fourteenth-century bridge with six pointed arches, and nearby the remains of the [[Lostwithiel Stannary Palace|Stannary Palace]], with its exchequer hall.<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Freemasons' Hall|num=1327326|access-date=7 August 2023}}</ref> [[Lostwithiel Guildhall]] in Fore Street has an arcaded ground floor and contains the local museum.<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Guildhall|num=1144227|access-date=7 August 2023}}</ref>
<gallery>
<gallery>
File:Lostwithiel - the Guildhall - geograph.org.uk - 571361.jpg|The old Duchy Palace
File:Lostwithiel - the Stannary Palace - geograph.org.uk - 571361.jpg|The old Stannary Palace
File:Lostwithiel Old Fire Station - geograph.org.uk - 56160.jpg|The old Fire Station
File:Lostwithiel Old Fire Station - geograph.org.uk - 56160.jpg|The old Fire Station
File:Methodist Church, Queen Street, Lostwithiel - geograph.org.uk - 666063.jpg|The Methodist Church in Queen Street
File:Methodist Church, Queen Street, Lostwithiel - geograph.org.uk - 666063.jpg|The Methodist Church in Queen Street
File:Lostwithiel (2021-09-05) 25.jpg|Lostwithiel Guildhall
</gallery>
</gallery>


==Culture==
==Culture==
The town has a playing field known as [[King George's Fields|King George V Playing Field]]. Lostwithiel has several large parks including Coulson Park which was named after [[Nathaniel Coulson]] (the San Francisco property magnate) who was raised in Lostwithiel after being abandoned by his father.
The town has a playing field known as [[King George's Fields|King George V Playing Field]]. Lostwithiel has several large parks including Coulson Park which was named after Nathaniel Coulson (the San Francisco property magnate) who was raised in Lostwithiel after being abandoned by his father.


The town is host to a number of annual cultural activities including an arts and crafts festival, a beer festival, a week-long carnival in the summer, food and cider festivals in October, and a Dickensian evening in December.<ref>{{cite web | title = Annual Events | work = Welcome to Lostwithiel | publisher = Lostwithiel Business Group | access-date = 22 February 2011 | url = http://www.lostwithiel.org.uk/whats-on/annual-events/ | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120903152815/http://www.lostwithiel.org.uk/whats-on/annual-events/ | archive-date = 3 September 2012 | df = dmy-all }}</ref>
The town is host to a number of annual cultural activities including an arts and crafts festival, a beer festival, a week-long carnival in the summer, food and cider festivals in October, and a Dickensian evening in December.<ref>{{cite web | title = Annual Events | work = Welcome to Lostwithiel | publisher = Lostwithiel Business Group | access-date = 22 February 2011 | url = http://www.lostwithiel.org.uk/whats-on/annual-events/ | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120903152815/http://www.lostwithiel.org.uk/whats-on/annual-events/ | archive-date = 3 September 2012 }}</ref>


[[File:Lostwithiel Diamond Jubilee Sculpture.JPG|thumb|Lostiwithiel Sculpture for the Queens Diamond Jubilee]]
[[File:Lostwithiel Diamond Jubilee Sculpture.JPG|thumb|Lostiwithiel Sculpture for the Queens Diamond Jubilee]]

==Sport==
[[Cornish wrestling]] tournaments, for prizes, have been held in Lostwithiel for centuries.<ref name="RCG300871806">Royal Cornwall Gazette, 30 August 1806.</ref><ref name="WT28081830">Western Times, 28 August 1830.</ref> Venues have included the grounds of Lanwithan,<ref name="CG08071937">Cornish Guardian, 8 July 1937.</ref> Coulson Park<ref name="WMN11072006">The Western Morning News, 11 July 2006.</ref> and the King George V Playing Field.<ref name="CG07072010">Cornish Guardian, 7 July 2010.</ref>

Lostwithiel hosted the Interceltic Games in 1982.


==Education==
==Education==
There are two primary schools in Lostwithiel: [[St Winnow]] C E School and Lostwithiel Primary School. Both schools are academies. Lostwithiel Primary School is part of the Peninsula Learning Trust Multi Academy Trust and St Winnow C E School is part of The Saints Way Multi Academy Trust. The majority of children aged between 11 and 16 attend [[Fowey River Academy]] or [[Bodmin College]].
There are two primary schools in Lostwithiel: [[St Winnow]] C E School and Lostwithiel Primary School. Both schools are academies. Lostwithiel Primary School is part of the Peninsula Learning Trust Multi Academy Trust and St Winnow C E School is part of The Saints Way Multi Academy Trust. The majority of children aged between 11 and 16 attend [[Fowey River Academy]] or [[Bodmin College]].


Lostwithiel Educational Trust is a local charity which makes "grants to local schools and churches, as well as to individuals, for educational purposes" <ref>{{cite web|url=http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/CharityWithoutPartB.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=1132910|title=Charity overview|website=charitycommission.gov.uk|access-date=6 May 2018}}</ref>
Lostwithiel Educational Trust is a local charity which makes "grants to local schools and churches, as well as to individuals, for educational purposes"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/CharityWithoutPartB.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=1132910|title=Charity overview|website=charitycommission.gov.uk|access-date=6 May 2018}}</ref>


==Transport==
==Transport==
One or two trains each hour stop at [[Lostwithiel railway station]] with services in each direction between {{stnlnk|Plymouth}} or {{stnlnk|Penzance}}, many continuing beyond Plymouth to {{stnlnk|Cardiff Central}} or {{stn|London Paddington}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=K1 train times |url=https://www.gwr.com/travel-information/train-times |publisher=Great Western Railway |access-date=2023-08-11}}</ref>
From [[Lostwithiel railway station]] trains operated by [[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|Great Western Railway]] run approximately every two hours towards [[Plymouth railway station|Plymouth]] or [[Penzance railway station|Penzance]]. Some through services to and from [[London Paddington station]] and those operated by [[CrossCountry]] between Penzance and [[Scotland]] also stop.


[[National Express Coaches|National Express]] provides a regular coach service to London which runs via Plymouth for connections to other destinations. The coach stop is located outside the Royal Talbot Hotel.
[[National Express Coaches|National Express]] provides a regular coach service to London which runs via Plymouth for connections to other destinations. The coach stop is located outside the Royal Talbot Hotel.


[[Bus stop]]s in Lostwithiel are outside the Royal Talbot Hotel and Cott Road phone box.
[[Bus stop]]s in Lostwithiel are outside the Royal Talbot Hotel and Cott Road phone box.
{{clear}}
⚫
[[File:Lostwithiel.jpg|center|thumb|600px|Lostwithiel looking from the west]]


==Twinning==
==Twinning==
Lostwithiel was twinned with [[Pleyber-Christ]] in Brittany, France in 1979. The people in the Twinning Associations of both towns usually meet up every year, alternating between Lostwithiel and Pleyber Christ.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lostwithiel.org.uk/about-the-town/twin-town-pleyber-christ/|title=Lostwithiel's twin town Pleyber Christ, Brittany|website=www.lostwithiel.org.uk|access-date=6 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180506124811/https://www.lostwithiel.org.uk/about-the-town/twin-town-pleyber-christ/|archive-date=6 May 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
Lostwithiel was twinned with [[Pleyber-Christ]] in Brittany, France in 1979. The people in the Twinning Associations of both towns usually meet up every year, alternating between Lostwithiel and Pleyber Christ.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lostwithiel.org.uk/about-the-town/twin-town-pleyber-christ/|title=Lostwithiel's twin town Pleyber Christ, Brittany|website=lostwithiel.org.uk|access-date=6 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180506124811/https://www.lostwithiel.org.uk/about-the-town/twin-town-pleyber-christ/|archive-date=6 May 2018}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
Line 95: Line 102:
* [http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1386-1421/constituencies/lostwithiel The History of Parliament Trust, Lostwithiel, Borough, from 1386 to 1868]
* [http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1386-1421/constituencies/lostwithiel The History of Parliament Trust, Lostwithiel, Borough, from 1386 to 1868]
* [http://www.lostwithiel.org.uk/ Lostwithiel.org.uk] run by Lostwithiel Business Group
* [http://www.lostwithiel.org.uk/ Lostwithiel.org.uk] run by Lostwithiel Business Group
* {{curlie|/Regional/Europe/United_Kingdom/England/Cornwall/Lostwithiel/}}
* [http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/Cornwall/Lostwithiel/index.html GENUKI page]
* [http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/Cornwall/Lostwithiel/index.html GENUKI page]
* [https://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20090806120650/http://cornovia.org.uk/htexts/boger01.html Lostwithiel Bridge and its Memories – The Reverend Canon E Boger, 1887]
* [https://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20090806120650/http://cornovia.org.uk/htexts/boger01.html Lostwithiel Bridge and its Memories – The Reverend Canon E Boger, 1887]
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[[Category:Civil parishes in Cornwall]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Cornwall]]
[[Category:History of Cornwall]]
[[Category:History of Cornwall]]
[[Category:Coinage Towns]]

Latest revision as of 18:10, 7 November 2024

Lostwithiel
The 12th-century bridge across the River Fowey
Lostwithiel is located in Cornwall
Lostwithiel
Lostwithiel
Location within Cornwall
Population2,814 (2011)[2]
OS grid referenceSX104598
Civil parish
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLOSTWITHIEL
Postcode districtPL22
Dialling code01208
PoliceDevon and Cornwall
FireCornwall
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Cornwall
50°24′27″N 4°40′11″W / 50.40741°N 4.66964°W / 50.40741; -4.66964

Lostwithiel (/lɒsˈwɪðiəl/; Cornish: Lostwydhyel[4]) is a civil parish and small town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom at the head of the estuary of the River Fowey. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,739, increasing to 2,899 at the 2011 census.[2] The Lostwithiel electoral ward had a population of 4,639 at the 2011 census.[5] The name Lostwithiel comes from the Cornish "lostwydhyel" which means "tail of a wooded area".[6]

Origin of the name

[edit]

The origin of the name Lostwithiel is a subject much debated. In the 16th century it was thought that the name came from the Roman name Uzella, translated as Les Uchel in Cornish. In the 17th century popular opinion was that the name came from a translation of Lost (a tail) and Withiel (a lion), the lion in question being the lord who lived in the castle.[citation needed]

Current thinking is that the name comes from the Old Cornish Lost Gwydhyel meaning "tail-end of the woodland".[7] The view from Restormel Castle looking towards the town shows how this may have come to be.[citation needed]

History

[edit]

Lostwithiel was founded in the early 12th century by Norman lords who built the nearby Restormel Castle. Lostwithiel received its town charter in 1189.[8] In the late 13th century, Edmund, 2nd Earl of Cornwall oversaw the building of the Stannary Palace, the bridge and the square church tower.[8]

The Battle of Lostwithiel, an important battle in the First English Civil War, took place near Lostwithiel in 1644. In it Parliamentarian forces were defeated by the Royalists. The Parliamentarians would go on to win the war but Cornwall remained under Royalist control until 1646.[9]

The Lostwithiel constituency elected two members to the Unreformed House of Commons, but was disenfranchised by the Reform Act 1832. It remained a municipal borough until the 1960s, when it became a civil parish. The seal of the borough of Lostwithiel was a shield charged with a castle rising from water between two thistles, in the water two fish, with the legend "Sigillum burgi de Lostwithyel et Penknight in Cornubia".[10] Its mayoral regalia includes a silver oar, signifying its former jurisdiction over the River Fowey.[11]

Jaques Bagratuni, a prince and ambassador of Armenia to Britain, died in Lostwithiel on 23 December 1943 but was buried at Brompton Cemetery in London.[12]

Geography

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The town is situated in the Fowey river valley, positioned between the A390 road from Tavistock to Truro and the upper tidal reaches of the river.[13]

Lostwithiel railway station is on the Cornish Main Line from Plymouth to Penzance. It is situated on the south side of the town, just across the medieval bridge. The line was originally built for the Cornwall Railway which built its main workshops here, but the surviving workshop buildings were transformed into apartments in 2004. A branch line takes china clay trains to Fowey.[14]

The town contains the suburbs of Bridgend to the east and Rosehill and Victoria to the west of the River Fowey.[13]

To the south of the town is the Shirehall Moor nature reserve which follows the course of the River Fowey and opens out to a wide salt marsh.[15] The reserve is a haven for birdlife including swans, ducks, egrets, herons, kingfishers and Canada geese.[16]

Lostwithiel looking from the west

Buildings

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Lostwithiel's most notable buildings are St Bartholomew's Church and Restormel Castle. Once a stannary town, and for a period the most important in Cornwall, it is now much reduced in importance. There is a fine early fourteenth-century bridge with six pointed arches, and nearby the remains of the Stannary Palace, with its exchequer hall.[17] Lostwithiel Guildhall in Fore Street has an arcaded ground floor and contains the local museum.[18]

  • The old Stannary Palace
    The old Stannary Palace
  • The old Fire Station
    The old Fire Station
  • The Methodist Church in Queen Street
    The Methodist Church in Queen Street
  • Lostwithiel Guildhall
    Lostwithiel Guildhall

Culture

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The town has a playing field known as King George V Playing Field. Lostwithiel has several large parks including Coulson Park which was named after Nathaniel Coulson (the San Francisco property magnate) who was raised in Lostwithiel after being abandoned by his father.

The town is host to a number of annual cultural activities including an arts and crafts festival, a beer festival, a week-long carnival in the summer, food and cider festivals in October, and a Dickensian evening in December.[19]

Lostiwithiel Sculpture for the Queens Diamond Jubilee

Sport

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Cornish wrestling tournaments, for prizes, have been held in Lostwithiel for centuries.[20][21] Venues have included the grounds of Lanwithan,[22] Coulson Park[23] and the King George V Playing Field.[24]

Lostwithiel hosted the Interceltic Games in 1982.

Education

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There are two primary schools in Lostwithiel: St Winnow C E School and Lostwithiel Primary School. Both schools are academies. Lostwithiel Primary School is part of the Peninsula Learning Trust Multi Academy Trust and St Winnow C E School is part of The Saints Way Multi Academy Trust. The majority of children aged between 11 and 16 attend Fowey River Academy or Bodmin College.

Lostwithiel Educational Trust is a local charity which makes "grants to local schools and churches, as well as to individuals, for educational purposes"[25]

Transport

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One or two trains each hour stop at Lostwithiel railway station with services in each direction between Plymouth or Penzance, many continuing beyond Plymouth to Cardiff Central or London Paddington.[26]

National Express provides a regular coach service to London which runs via Plymouth for connections to other destinations. The coach stop is located outside the Royal Talbot Hotel.

Bus stops in Lostwithiel are outside the Royal Talbot Hotel and Cott Road phone box.

Twinning

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Lostwithiel was twinned with Pleyber-Christ in Brittany, France in 1979. The people in the Twinning Associations of both towns usually meet up every year, alternating between Lostwithiel and Pleyber Christ.[27]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Cornwall Council Website". Cornwall Council. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  2. ^ a b UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Lostwithiel Parish (1170220583)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  3. ^ "Lostwithiel Town Council Website". Lostwithiel Town Council. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  4. ^ "List of Place-names agreed by the MAGA Signage Panel" (PDF). Cornish Language Partnership. May 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 July 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
  5. ^ "2011 Ward census". Archived from the original on 8 February 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  6. ^ Weatherhill, Craig (2009) A Concise Dictionary of Cornish Place-Names. Westport, Mayo: Evertype
  7. ^ Mills, A. D. (1996). The Popular Dictionary of English Place-Names. Parragon Book Service Ltd and Magpie Books. ISBN 0-7525-1851-8.
  8. ^ a b "History of Lostwithiel". Lostwithiel.org.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  9. ^ "Battle of Lostwithiel (1644)". Battlefields of Britain. CastlesFortsBattles.co.uk network. 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  10. ^ Pascoe, W. H. (1979). A Cornish Armory. Padstow, Cornwall: Lodenek Press. p. 133. ISBN 0-902899-76-7.
  11. ^ Wright, William Henry Kearley (1890). The Western Antiquary, Or, Devon and Cornwall Note Book. Vol. 9–10. W. H. Luke. p. 23.
  12. ^ Barrington-Ward, Robert, ed. (19 January 1944). "Major-General J. Bagratuni". The Times. No. 49, 757. p. 7. ISSN 0140-0460.
  13. ^ a b Ordnance Survey: Explorer map sheet 107 St Austell & Liskeard, 2008, ISBN 0-319-24017-7
  14. ^ Dart, Maurice (2004). East Cornwall Mineral Railways. Middleton Press. ISBN 1-904474-22-5.
  15. ^ "Coulson Park and Shirehall Moor : Lostwithiel". lostwithiel.org.uk. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  16. ^ "Lostwithiel riverside walk – Mellingey to Coulson park, Pill walk & Shirehall Moor… – Mellingey house". mellingey.co.uk. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  17. ^ Historic England. "Freemasons' Hall (1327326)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  18. ^ Historic England. "Guildhall (1144227)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  19. ^ "Annual Events". Welcome to Lostwithiel. Lostwithiel Business Group. Archived from the original on 3 September 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  20. ^ Royal Cornwall Gazette, 30 August 1806.
  21. ^ Western Times, 28 August 1830.
  22. ^ Cornish Guardian, 8 July 1937.
  23. ^ The Western Morning News, 11 July 2006.
  24. ^ Cornish Guardian, 7 July 2010.
  25. ^ "Charity overview". charitycommission.gov.uk. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  26. ^ "K1 train times". Great Western Railway. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  27. ^ "Lostwithiel's twin town Pleyber Christ, Brittany". lostwithiel.org.uk. Archived from the original on 6 May 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
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